DAVID KOLOANE

MGODOYI SERIES (1993)

Mgodoyi I1993
single colour lithograph
56 x 76 cm
Edition 20

Mgodoyi II1993
two colour lithograph
76 x 56 cm
Edition 20

Mgodoyi III1993
five colour lithograph
56 x 76 cm
Edition 20

The first democratic elections in South Africa were held in 1994. This was
made possible by the peaceful handover of power that was negotiated at CODESA.
The Mgodoyi Series reflects Koloane's thoughts around the negotiations. Mgodoyi
is an insulting Zulu term for dog. In these prints mongrel dogs maul each other.
It is not clear which is the victor or whether they are in fact playing and not
fighting. These are the ambiguities that Koloane examines in the prints.

OTHER PRINTS

Celebration (1998)

Celebration1998
six colour lithograph
41.7 x 68.3 cm
Edition 40

Celebration joyfully reflects a Zionist prayer meeting. The Zionist church in
South Africa is an "indigenous" Black church that combines
Christianity with elements of traditional African belief systems. It is the
largest Church in the country and on weekends one often sees members of the
church dressed in their colourful outfits on the way to religious gatherings
which are normally held outdoors.

Johannesburg Series (2000)

Mirror1999
six colour lithograph
38 x 51 cm
Edition 30

Three Sisters1999
seven colour lithograph
38 x 51 cmEditon 30

In Mirror and Three Sisters Koloane depicts the women who work the
streets of inner city Johannesburg. These sex workers line the main streets in
the city after dark. Koloane portrays them in a sympathetic way without
revealing who the real person is behind the veneer of make-up and hairstyles.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Koloane recently exhibited (June 2003) at the Goodman Gallery. His solo show,
titled 'Rituals', showcased more than ten years worth work, including Koloane's
recent assemblage pieces. Sculptural paintings created in mixed media, usually
discarded objects collected by the artist, emerging critic Brenton Maart
characterised the artist's Voice box piece as "devoid of agency and
powerful, abject and strengthened by ritualistic mediation". Using a
variety of packaging materials (boxes, sealing wax, packing tape) to construct
his works, Koloane revealed his working materials to be more than just that.
According to Maart, they serve to interrogate the packaging of black artists,
the false notions of modernism/s which circumscribe their output, the dialectic
between inside and outside, the dichotomy of centre and periphery.

'Rituals' is not Koloane's first solo show at the Goodman Gallery, the artist
showing there almost annually since 1997. Other prominent recent engagements
include a show at the National Art Gallery of Malaysia, as well as his
participation on 'Liberated Voices' (2000) at New York's Museum of African Art.

Tower(1999), a mixed media piece characteristic of this period in his career,
is an expressionistic portrait of the Hillbrow Tower. The work perfectly blends
Koloane's unrestrained appreciation for colour with a more subtle sense of
gloom, although Koloane avers that the city is most "magical" at
night. In terms of its subject matter, Tower is also a work that best
articulates Koloane's constant fascination with Johannesburg as a beacon of
hope.

In 1995, Koloane was asked to curate the South African section of 'Seven
Stories About Modern Art In Africa'. Unlike the hit and miss Johannesburg
Biennale of the same year, Koloane's show was tightly honed. Koloane's selection
evidenced a clear-sighted awareness of the socio-political context in which
South African artists operates. "The pervasive role played by politics in
the existence of the South African populace affects both victims and
perpetrators alike, and therefore every sphere of life," he wrote in the
accompanying catalogue.

The early 1990s were quite significant for Koloane, not only because of the
wider political context. Koloane's involvement with Robert Loder, a London-based
art collector, and his Triangle International Workshop in Zimbabwe would
eventually lead to the formation of The Bag Factory studios, in 1991. Not always
appreciated for what it offers, the space is intimately associated with the
careers of Pat Mautloa, Sam Nhlengethwa, Joachim Schonfeldt and Mark Attwood, if
not a whole generation of Johannesburg-based artists - black and white.

Between 1961 and 1972, Louis Maqhubela guided Koloane's early development,
before leaving South Africa for Europe to further his own career. From 1974 to
1977, Koloane attended art classes at the Bill Ainslie Studios. His professional
turning point came in 1975 when he held his first exhibition with Michael Zondi,
already an established sculptor in his own right. Two years later Koloane opened
the FUBA (Federated Union of Black Artists) gallery in the bustling centre of
cultural protest, Johannesburg's Market Theatre precinct. In 1983, Koloane
received an invitation by the Triangle International Artists Workshop to visit
New York. The experience of working together with artists from different
nationalities was to have a profound effect on the artist, and would ultimately
lead to the formation of The Bag Factory studios, with Robert Loder.

When not tinkering about his studio (#3) in Minaar Street, Koloane must
attend to the administration of The Bag Factory studios while entertaining the
usual retinue of international curators. As with many jobbing artists in South
Africa he must split his allegiances between his own work and the
responsibilities of writing for the occasional exhibition catalogue or making
speaker's notes for engagements both locally and abroad. He is also a board
member of the National Arts Council of SA.